Having reached the very pinnacle of track and field by taking global medals at both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, UEL’s athletics Team Manager Joslyn Hoyte-Smith knows what goes into making a top level athlete.
Now as Team Manager of UEL’s athletics club, she is using her track success to guide the current generation of UEL athletes to successful endeavours in the sport, as they gear up for this summer’s BUCS outdoor championships.
The Leed to Her Success
After moving from Barbados as a child to Leeds, she was inspired at her local school and became involved in athletics through the support of her teachers.
“When I came to England, it was my school teacher who got me involved in the sport. My teacher used to take me training and to all the competitions.”
Having risen through the junior ranks, she then moved up into senior level where she continued to be very successful. In 1978, she took a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada in the 400m – an achievement that she holds as one of the fondest memories of her career.
“My best memory of the sport was going to the Commonwealth Games in 1978 because I wasn’t known at the time. I got picked to run for England, went to Canada, got through my first heat, my coaches said ‘Just enjoy it!’ I then got through my second heat and then went on to get a bronze medal.”
At the Moscow Olympics in 1980, the Olympian achieved yet another spectacular bronze medal; although it came as a surprise. “We weren’t expected to do anything and advised not to compete in Russia that year.” Although the odds were against Joslyn and her relay team mates, they came out shining and showing what team GB were made of.
The Best of UEL Athletics
The University of East London prides itself on the success of the athletics club and its development over the recent years.
UEL is known for having one of the most successful athletics teams in the UK. It was ranked in the top 10 universities in the country in 2013 and 2014, and also claimed multiple championship medals between 2014 and 2017.
Hoyte-Smith puts the rise of UEL in the BUCS rankings down to the relationship that has been built between coach and athlete.
“Building relationships with the athletes is an important area. To get the best from a group of athletes, you need a good relationship with them and at the same time keeping a professional conduct by making them aware of their expectations of representing the university.”
She also believes that the addition of SportsDock has been a big factor in contributing to the success of the club.
“The support team at SportsDock really do a good job by getting to know the athletes and I think they go beyond what they should to ensure that the athletes get what they need to get the best performances.”
Building on BUCS success
Last month, UEL took a team of athletes to Sheffield to compete at the BUCS indoor championships.
Despite missing a number of key figures due to the British Athletics Championships being held on the same day, UEL still enjoyed a successful weekend.
Over the course of the three days, UEL won four medals and finished a strong seventh place out of 49 universities.
“A lot of our team members went to the British Athletics Championships, so we had a small team.”
“But that small team doubled up and did lots of events, so the success of what they did wasn’t just what they ran but they also pulled together as a team.”
“Some of the relay runners ran in the heats to allow others to recover, so we were able to get a medal. So it was about a team effort with a very tiny team.”
Now the focus turns to the BUCS outdoor championship.
Speaking about the UEL’s aspiration for the championships, Hoyte-Smith declared: “I will sit down with the rest of the team to develop a selection policy and with that we really want athletes to aspire to really high standards so that we can come away with a few more medals.
“The team did really well last year and we are using that as a measure for what we are aiming for.”
